The Top 8 Digital Consultants in Dubai

The field of digital marketing is very broad, and it can be difficult to figure out how to stand out as a professional.

If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at moving up in the industry, then look no further than the following examples of the 8 most prominent digital consultants in Dubai listed below. Check out what they have to say about the craft, and see how their stories might inspire you.

Digital Consultant in Dubai #1: Bassem Saber

To start off this list is Bassem Saber. Bassem is the current Head of Performance Marketing at Igloo, a digital marketing agency based in Dubai. He’s worked over 9 years in the industry, serving as VP for Cobone for a time before starting work with Igloo, and is an active speaker at conferences and workshops for digital marketing.

His work ethic is highly founded on segregation: fine-tuning specific elements of the process and campaign in the hopes of refining the end product to perfection.

“Brand yourself. Be more visible, be more credible, be more profitable.”

Digital Consultant in Dubai #2: Saif Kidwai

The next digital consultant on this list started out in London before relocating to Dubai. Saif Kidwai co-founded the digital recruitment agency Digital Gurus in 2008, but later transferred to serve as the Managing Director of their Dubai office.

His agency has won a number of awards including the 2015 Recruiter Award for “Best Company to Work For,” and LinkedIn’s “Most Socially Engaged Staffing Agencies” Award in 2018. Saif doesn’t focus solely on gaining expert knowledge to share, but takes pride in sharing that knowledge through his professional relationships, nurturing work trust and efficiency wherever he goes.

“Digital is most definitely the place to be… and it’s an even better time to be a guru.”

Digital Consultant in Dubai #3: Sajid Sulaiman

Third on this list is Sajid Sulaiman. Sajid works as a digital marketing manager for the companies Qubes LLC and Speed House Group. He also performs website design and media production, which keeps him updated on digital trends.

Sajid’s well-rounded nature allows him to fit a multitude of roles. Apart from his standard process of, “plan, attract, capture, engage,” testimonials from Sajid’s clients demonstrate his abilities and praise his willingness to admit and correct error.

“Coming up with the right marketing mix is a part science and part arts job.”

Digital Consultant in Dubai #4: Awad Abdelgayoum

This list’s fourth name is also its lone SEO freelancer: Awad Abdelgayoum. He started out in online marketing in 2006, worked in management and consultation for Sky Telecom Group and ELANAT.COM, then decided to become a free agent in 2017 with his personal brand, Breaze8. To date, Awad has worked with clients such as Mama Chia, Vilado Paris, Emarat Petroleum, and more. Aside from his main ventures, he also regularly publishes articles on PPC Graph’s website.

Awad takes a story-based approach to his marketing endeavors. He uses psychology, consumer behavior, and neuro-marketing to “identify, choose, create, and deliver,” campaigns for the clients he handles.

“A brand is not a single campaign; it is a shaped perception”

Digital Consultant in Dubai #5: Liam Chappells

The second consultant on this list to come from the UK is Liam Chappells. Liam began his involvement in digital marketing in 2011 as the Head of Local Search for SEOnext, before moving to Dubai in 2012 and becoming Head of Business Development for USEO.

He then went on to found two digital marketing agencies in the region, The Link Chaps and Flare Digital Agency. Some satisfied clients of his through these agencies include Zaini Media, Chaps & Co., and Beauty Solutions.

The key to this satisfaction is Liam’s willingness to make digital marketing as approachable and accessible of a concept as possible for clients, in order to open more fruitful dialogues.

“By providing answers and solutions to your ideal audience’s pain-points, you can build a strong network of followers and subscribers.”

Digital Consultant in Dubai #6: Ivan Budko

Sixth on this list is public speaker and trainer Ivan Budko. Budko started out as a motivational trainer in 2011 before exploring business and marketing in 2016. He quickly became CEO of Elarum Business Seminars in Dubai, and set up his own business, IB-TRAINING.

His focus on meaningful interaction has won him over 30,000 attendees and counting for his seminars, and landed him a cover feature on Business Emirates Magazine.

Budko’s integration of sales, marketing, and motivational speaking experience has helped him make his mark doing post-campaign and seminar interactions with clients. Through his training, he aims to maximize his impact on the people and businesses he touches.

“If you show them that you understand their needs, what they really want, it will build a connection”

Digital Consultant in Dubai #7: Elie Khouri

The penultimate entry on this list is Elie Khouri.

Elie is a veteran in the business, having started as an Associate Managing Director for IMPACT BBDO in 1988. He then moved on to become Regional Managing Director for Omnicom Media Group MENA before being promoted to CEO of the same group in 2006. Not long after his instalment as CEO, the Dubai branch of Omnicom was named one of the Top 10 Best Places to Work, and Khouri himself was dubbed Leader of the Year in 2017 by the Great Place to Work Institute.

The core behind his achievements is “dissemination of success”, which means empowering the success of individual members of the team whilst ensuring the success of others as well.

“Innovation, agility, disruption, curiosity and empowerment aren’t just buzzwords to me – they’re values I live my life by”

Digital Consultant in Dubai #8: Rayan Tarraf

Rayan Tarraf is our final, Dubai-based digital consultant for this list.

Rayan founded his own agency, the Glimpse Digital Agency in 2017 after a few years as Samsung’s Content and Digital Services Operations Manager for the MENA region, and as Head of Digital and Social Media for Novo Cinemas.

His many accolades include the MENA Digital Awards’ “Best Use of Social Media” Award in 2016 and the Gulf Digital Experience Awards’ “Digital Professional of the Year” Award in the same year.

What truly sets him apart from the other consultants on this list his willingness to embrace of the personal, rejecting corporate style for a more instinctive pattern for his judgments and work ethic.

“I am a geek at heart and deeply enjoy combining my evangelistic love of technology with my penchant for business.”